For a Stay at Home Mom, days can get blurred pretty easily and quickly if we don't stay on top of things. This week is one of those weeks. All day today I thought it was Tuesday, and it is Thursday. The week has been a blur to say the least. Todd had some medical issues early in the week, which escalated to a call to the ambulance, a visit to the cardiologist followed by 6 hours at his office the next day, followed by a visit to his regular doctor, which leads me to now. Thursday night, taking deep breaths, and trying to get motivated to do what I need to do tomorrow and this weekend. Oh, and in case you are wondering, Todd's heart is ticking just fine. Thank God for taking care of my husband!
But, I can't say that I'm not exhausted, or that I'm not feeling a little defeated tonight, because I am. It seems like every time Todd takes a step of faith to do something in his walk with God, there is an attack on his physical, mental, financial and even spiritual life. He has met some new guys that love the Lord, who are starting a bible study. He is going to join them in this new group, which starts in a couple of weeks. I'm beyond excited for him! I know this is something that he's desired for some time, and it definitely something I've desired for him our entire marriage. I just get so frustrated. I know 1Peter 5:8 tells us "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." I'm angry enough to say back off devil!
But, I am also finding comfort in the verse before and the verses after. 1 Peter 5:7 "Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you." 1 Peter 5:9-11 "Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. 10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 11 To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen."
So, tonight, I am thanking the Lord that it is Thursday night. Bring on Friday fun! Saturday family time and Sunday rest! Thank you Lord for restoring us and making us strong, firm and steadfast. You are so good!
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Friday, February 18, 2011
Jack Of All Trades... Master of One
I've never considered myself a "master" of anything. I'm good at a few things, I'm capable of much more than most people know. However, being Master implies that I've trained for many years for something, working hard to achieve a level of excellence that few have worked to achieve. A few days ago, I started thinking about how I became a "master" at laziness. The idea of working toward this, putting many hours, weeks and even years into becoming a master at it seems daunting to some. I didn't set out one morning to be the best lazy person on the planet, but I did slowly allow it to creep in and become master to me. I don't want to be a slave to laziness anymore.
Proverbs 6:6-11 "Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones. Learn from their ways and become wise!
7 Though they have no prince or governor or ruler to make them work,
8 they labor hard all summer, gathering food for the winter.
9 But you, lazybones, how long will you sleep? When will you wake up?
10 A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest—
11 then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber."
If you had come to my house a year ago, you would have surely felt uncomfortable by the amount of clutter. The chaos going on inside of me was reflected inside my house. Then, last March, I had a personal breakthrough forcing me to take inventory of what I was placing value in. I began to de-clutter, throwing out old papers and things that weren't used in some time. I gave 6 bags of old clothes to the Goodwill. I put much more in my garage for a garage sale (which I still haven't had). I have now set a date (MARCH 5) for this garage sale! I'm making progress toward my goal of not giving in to a lifestyle of laziness this year! I'm a work in progress, but I can look now and say with certainty that God is changing me from the inside out!
Speaking of "From the Inside Out", there is a Hillsong United song that I love so much by that title. The lyrics are:
A thousand times I've failed
Still your mercy remains
And should I stumble again
Still I'm caught in your grace
Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending, Your glory goes beyond all fame
My heart and my soul, I give You control
Consume me from the inside out Lord
Let justice and praise, become my embrace
To love You from the inside out
Your will above all else, my purpose remains
The art of losing myself in bringing you praise
THIS is my prayer, and I can see God working it in me! I am excited that little projects that I've had in my mind or on paper for years are starting to get completed! I am excited that I finally gave my body issues over to the Lord this week and felt freedom from the foods that was holding me down! But, I'm most excited that I don't "feel" lazy. I'm gettig dressed every morning, "to the shoes" as flylady would say. I'm clearing certain spaces no matter how messy they get during the day, each and every day. I enjoy coming downstairs in the mornings to find a clean living room and kitchen. It feels so much more calm and peaceful! I am excited about life, excited about making progress, the idea of having people over, and working toward new goals! God is good and He is freeing me from being a Master, or servant for that matter, of laziness!!!
Proverbs 6:6-11 "Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones. Learn from their ways and become wise!
7 Though they have no prince or governor or ruler to make them work,
8 they labor hard all summer, gathering food for the winter.
9 But you, lazybones, how long will you sleep? When will you wake up?
10 A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest—
11 then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber."
If you had come to my house a year ago, you would have surely felt uncomfortable by the amount of clutter. The chaos going on inside of me was reflected inside my house. Then, last March, I had a personal breakthrough forcing me to take inventory of what I was placing value in. I began to de-clutter, throwing out old papers and things that weren't used in some time. I gave 6 bags of old clothes to the Goodwill. I put much more in my garage for a garage sale (which I still haven't had). I have now set a date (MARCH 5) for this garage sale! I'm making progress toward my goal of not giving in to a lifestyle of laziness this year! I'm a work in progress, but I can look now and say with certainty that God is changing me from the inside out!
Speaking of "From the Inside Out", there is a Hillsong United song that I love so much by that title. The lyrics are:
A thousand times I've failed
Still your mercy remains
And should I stumble again
Still I'm caught in your grace
Everlasting, Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending, Your glory goes beyond all fame
My heart and my soul, I give You control
Consume me from the inside out Lord
Let justice and praise, become my embrace
To love You from the inside out
Your will above all else, my purpose remains
The art of losing myself in bringing you praise
THIS is my prayer, and I can see God working it in me! I am excited that little projects that I've had in my mind or on paper for years are starting to get completed! I am excited that I finally gave my body issues over to the Lord this week and felt freedom from the foods that was holding me down! But, I'm most excited that I don't "feel" lazy. I'm gettig dressed every morning, "to the shoes" as flylady would say. I'm clearing certain spaces no matter how messy they get during the day, each and every day. I enjoy coming downstairs in the mornings to find a clean living room and kitchen. It feels so much more calm and peaceful! I am excited about life, excited about making progress, the idea of having people over, and working toward new goals! God is good and He is freeing me from being a Master, or servant for that matter, of laziness!!!
Monday, February 14, 2011
All who are thirsty
This song is performed by several artists in Christian music today. I really like the title "All Who are Thirsty". The main part of the song goes like this:
All who are thirsty
All who are weak
Come to the fountain
Dip your heart in the stream of life
Let the pain and the sorrow
Be washed away
In the waves of His mercy
As deep cries out to deep
While the past 6 weeks of this new year have been remarkable for me in reaching some personal goals, we have been experiencing a financial struggle that we haven't had in a while. I shouldn't really use the word struggle as we are not destitute, just making difficult choices, and I'm not shopping much. I started having a little bit of panic a couple of weeks ago while working on the budget and literally seeing zero dollars in the left over column. That means, zero going into savings, and actually dipping into savings to cover all expenses. My mind initially went to "trust in God", but my heart did not. I couldn't let it rest. I needed to be in control of this, and quickly. I started trying to think of how I could make some money, did I need to go back to work, did I need to hurry up and do a quick garage sale rather than get all my stuff together in an organized way... I was trying to think of anything "I" could do. Finally, after talking to my mom about it this morning, peace came over me. I'm sure she was praying. If I know my mom, and I do, she prayed quickly after getting off the phone with me. There are so many scriptures on peace, but the one I often refer to during times of crisis is Philippians 4:6-7 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." I suddenly felt less anxious, and peace covered me.
So, I'm going to the fountain to satisfy my thirst. Thirsty for more of you, Lord! Thank you for providing for me through your word, and through your promises in your Word!
All who are thirsty
All who are weak
Come to the fountain
Dip your heart in the stream of life
Let the pain and the sorrow
Be washed away
In the waves of His mercy
As deep cries out to deep
While the past 6 weeks of this new year have been remarkable for me in reaching some personal goals, we have been experiencing a financial struggle that we haven't had in a while. I shouldn't really use the word struggle as we are not destitute, just making difficult choices, and I'm not shopping much. I started having a little bit of panic a couple of weeks ago while working on the budget and literally seeing zero dollars in the left over column. That means, zero going into savings, and actually dipping into savings to cover all expenses. My mind initially went to "trust in God", but my heart did not. I couldn't let it rest. I needed to be in control of this, and quickly. I started trying to think of how I could make some money, did I need to go back to work, did I need to hurry up and do a quick garage sale rather than get all my stuff together in an organized way... I was trying to think of anything "I" could do. Finally, after talking to my mom about it this morning, peace came over me. I'm sure she was praying. If I know my mom, and I do, she prayed quickly after getting off the phone with me. There are so many scriptures on peace, but the one I often refer to during times of crisis is Philippians 4:6-7 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." I suddenly felt less anxious, and peace covered me.
So, I'm going to the fountain to satisfy my thirst. Thirsty for more of you, Lord! Thank you for providing for me through your word, and through your promises in your Word!
- Psalm 37:25 "I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread."
- Philippians 4:19 "And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus."
- Isaiah 41:10 "'Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand."
- Psalm 55:22 "Cast your burden on the Lord [releasing the weight of it] and He will sustain you; He will never allow the [consistently] righteous to be moved (made to slip, fall, or fail)"
- Matthew 6:31-34 "So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Changes are happening
Some of my more personal goals for the year were toward my family. I wanted to be a calmer influence on my children. I wanted to be a better wife. I wanted to clean out the clutter in the house so that the house would feel more peaceful. I am so happy to say that some of those changes are taking place. I am taking it day by day. Some days are more productive than others, and the kids seem to be calming down a little more as I calm down more. It's not that we are wild animals here, so I guess the right wording would be that my approach toward them when they are over-excited has changed. I react less, and plan more. I am thinking ahead about what to say in each situation. There will always be room to grow, and new approaches to learn, but I am so excited to see the changes taking place.
We have decided to put Luke in a Christian school for "big kid" kindergarten next year. This was given a lot of thought and prayer between Todd and I. We knew at the start of this past school year that we would have him do kinder again next year, and God has continuously confirmed to us that this is the right decision for our precious boy. We are so excited about his future, and are absolutely loving this stage of his life. He's so intelligent. I can't believe that he's reading and doing simple math problems! However, we notice that Luke tends to follow older kids, and he deals with strong emotions. Allowing him the opportunity to have an extra year to mature will help him further down the road. We visited the school last week for our interview. He had to be tested without us being in the room. He scored 81 correct answers out of 83! The teacher wrote on the paper that he was VERY SMART (in all caps)!
Our biggest struggle was not in deciding whether or not to push him through to kinder, but in deciding if we could or should do Christian schooling. We've heard arguments from every angle on the matter. I truly believe that each child is different and their needs are different. Each parent is different and their desires for their children are different. I was afforded the opportunity to attend private Christian schooling in my elementary years until 5th grade. Those years are some of my most memorable, and built my spiritual foundation. I tested higher than my grade level each year based on the Standford Achievement Tests. This school also gives those tests to their students and find that they also test higher than the national grade levels. Our highest priority as Luke and Jacob's parents are to give them every opportunity to learn and know more about Christ. While we do our part in our home, we really want their early school years to be reinforced with Jesus in their education. I get so excited when Luke tells me a new memory verse he's learned at school (they get a new one each week). I know that he is "hiding the word in his heart". Nothing makes my heart leap more than that. I can't possibly explain the excitement, joy and true pleasure it brings to me! I could cry each time he tells me something new that he's learned about Jesus. I just love it! So, that was a big source for our decision making. Strong academics are important to us, but so much more important is the eternal value of a spirit education. We are excited about what next school year brings, and even more excited to see how it will all play out! God is providing the way! We might be in our little house for another few years, but if that's what it takes, we are good with that. There is a purpose and a plan for everything, and I know that there is a time and a season for everything. Right now, I am resting in knowing that i am in the perfect plan that God has for this time and season in our life. Thank you, Jesus! God, you are so good to us!
We have decided to put Luke in a Christian school for "big kid" kindergarten next year. This was given a lot of thought and prayer between Todd and I. We knew at the start of this past school year that we would have him do kinder again next year, and God has continuously confirmed to us that this is the right decision for our precious boy. We are so excited about his future, and are absolutely loving this stage of his life. He's so intelligent. I can't believe that he's reading and doing simple math problems! However, we notice that Luke tends to follow older kids, and he deals with strong emotions. Allowing him the opportunity to have an extra year to mature will help him further down the road. We visited the school last week for our interview. He had to be tested without us being in the room. He scored 81 correct answers out of 83! The teacher wrote on the paper that he was VERY SMART (in all caps)!
Our biggest struggle was not in deciding whether or not to push him through to kinder, but in deciding if we could or should do Christian schooling. We've heard arguments from every angle on the matter. I truly believe that each child is different and their needs are different. Each parent is different and their desires for their children are different. I was afforded the opportunity to attend private Christian schooling in my elementary years until 5th grade. Those years are some of my most memorable, and built my spiritual foundation. I tested higher than my grade level each year based on the Standford Achievement Tests. This school also gives those tests to their students and find that they also test higher than the national grade levels. Our highest priority as Luke and Jacob's parents are to give them every opportunity to learn and know more about Christ. While we do our part in our home, we really want their early school years to be reinforced with Jesus in their education. I get so excited when Luke tells me a new memory verse he's learned at school (they get a new one each week). I know that he is "hiding the word in his heart". Nothing makes my heart leap more than that. I can't possibly explain the excitement, joy and true pleasure it brings to me! I could cry each time he tells me something new that he's learned about Jesus. I just love it! So, that was a big source for our decision making. Strong academics are important to us, but so much more important is the eternal value of a spirit education. We are excited about what next school year brings, and even more excited to see how it will all play out! God is providing the way! We might be in our little house for another few years, but if that's what it takes, we are good with that. There is a purpose and a plan for everything, and I know that there is a time and a season for everything. Right now, I am resting in knowing that i am in the perfect plan that God has for this time and season in our life. Thank you, Jesus! God, you are so good to us!
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Perfect
Perfect. This word has rolled around in my head all day about lots of different subjects. I don't even know where to begin. Perhaps the definition of the word would be a good beginning. Merriam-Webster defines perfect as a : being entirely without fault or defect : flawless <a perfect diamond> b : satisfying all requirements : accurate c : corresponding to an ideal standard or abstract concept <a perfect gentleman> d : faithfully reproducing the original; specifically.
I often think of myself as less than perfect, and I should. Only God is perfect, and the above definition backs up my claim. Romans 3:10 says "As it is written, None is righteous, just and truthful and upright and conscientious, no, not one" I'm sure most people do it, whether realizing it or not, but comparing yourself to those you view as "perfect" can be detrimental to your self-esteem. I am a chronic comparer. I have friends that I truly think are as close to perfect as you can get here on earth. I often feel that I will never measure up to them, never fit in, etc. I have struggled ever since I can remember with feeling less than perfect for any number of things. But today, as I thought about the meaning of perfect, and the fact that God is the only perfect One, I also realized that I have to stop measuring myself to my "perfect" friends and measure myself to who I am in Christ.
I grew up hearing a minister who taught a lot about being "In Christ". Romans is a great book that teaches a lot about who we are in Christ. In Christ, I am justified and made righteous. Romans 5:1 In Christ, I am free from condemnation. Romans 8:1 In Christ, I am a temple of God. 1 Corinthians 3:16. There are so many promises in God's word, and when we can fully realize who we are in Christ, we can walk in those promises. If I put it in terms that I can fully comprehend, if I didn't know who I was in my family (my parents, sister, etc), I would never fully realize their love, understanding, and promises they hold for me. Romans 8:14-17 "For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. 15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory." We are heirs with Christ. We must know who we are In Christ. Don't lose sight of your inheritance in Him. I'm not talking about money, I'm talking about HIM! He is our inheritance. He is our hope! He is PERFECT! Psalm 18:30 "As for God, His way is perfect"
Though we may not know perfect people here on earth, we can know the One who holds us and directs our lives is perfect, and He will perfect that which concerns us. Psalm 138:8 - "The LORD will perfect that which concerns me: your mercy, O LORD, endures for ever: forsake not the works of your own hands." So, I will keep in the forefront of my mind that I am not perfect, but neither are any of my friends, family, pastors, church, etc. Praise God! He will perfect that which concerns me! His way is perfect!
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