This will likely be short. I'm feeling bad for not blogging all week, but I have been sick since Tuesday night so...that's my excuse.
While I'm down with only a head cold, it seems like the black plague because I'm pregnant. The only two medications my doctor told me were safe for the stuffiness aren't doing a lick of good. I really just want to lay around and watch movies all day, but I'm a mom of two other monsters, so that's not really very realistic. None of this has anything to do with anything except to say that my word of inspiration for this week is new.
We're studying Ecclesiastes in my women's Bible study, and this week we were talking about Gods mercies being new every day. It's a good thing too, or we may never get up in the morning. While I may feel like death warmed over, and am only sleeping a few hours at night, I am reminded that when the sun rises God's love and mercy starts all over again.
In highschool one of the popular Christian songs my friends and I liked said it simply: "Every day is a new day, I'm thankful for every breath I take. I won't take it for granted, so I learn from my mistakes." Its actually quite true. Every day IS a new day. I don't have to remember how many times I yelled at my kids yesterday. I don't have to remember that I didn't run the dishwasher, and I forgot to move the clothes to the dryer. I don't have to remember that I forgot to do my daily Bible study before I went to bed. I get to wake up to a day full of new possibilities, challenges, and blessings. While I may still have to run the dishwasher, and wash clothes again, I don't have to let yesterdays failures dictate the attitude of my new day.
So while I'm sick, and not accomplishing anything at all, except making through several episodes of Hart of Dixie (which, if you don't watch, you need to), I am reminded that tomorrow is a new chance to do something different. Not only a new chance to do the mundane household chores that plague my very being :) but a chance to do something to show my children that yesterday is past, today is new! Life lessons in the little things right?
Have a blessed NEW day! I hope that wasn't too jumbled and repetitive, I did just take some Benadryl. :)
Friday, January 17, 2014
Friday, January 10, 2014
Freedom From Disturbance
So I was thinking of another "inspirational" word to write about and I came across a verse that totally led me to where I am.
Joshua 1:9
"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed for he Lord your God is with you wherever you go."
I call that Peace (which I readily admit I don't contain much of on the average day).
For some reason I like to look of definitions, and the definiton of peace is:
Freedom from disturbance, quiet and tranquility.
In the day to day hustle and bustle around my house we don't get much peace. My husband is an outgoing personality, and both my kids got that trait from him. With a two year old boy and four year old daughter my days are full of screaming, climbing, yelling, pushing, and the list goes on, and on, and ON. I can however think of a FEW times since having kids that God miraculously granted me peace in the moment. I know it was God because I never could have aquired it myself. I'm not JUST talking about the little moments through the day that God keeps me sane enough to survive until Josh gets home (you've been there, you know!). I'm talking big moments, when you just collapse into the arms of God and feel freedom from disturbance.
My biggest ones were number one when Josh had his accident at work in 2009. If you don't know that story I apologize, it's an amazing testimony to God's faithfulness and healing power, and I'd LOVE to share it with you sometime. But for the sake of this not taking days for you to read, I'll just skip ahead a little. While Josh was lying in the hospital in a coma, and my 4 month old daughter was at home for days on end without mommy by her side, I remember a pastor friend of ours saying to me, "I can't believe how much faith you have that Josh will be ok." And my reply was "I don't have any choice." I was not, in those initial days, resting in God's peaceful arms. But there was one moment, when I went to the ICU and sat with him shortly after he was starting to show signs of waking up. He was still somewhat unconcious but I was talking to him anyway, and he started smiling and nodding. I would ask him questions that only he would be able to answer and he would nod yes or smirk and shake his head no ever so slightly. And for the first time during that long ordeal, I felt freedom from disturbance. God granted me peace by waking up my husband, and letting me see tiny signs of the real Josh still hiding inside.
There have been other moments that come to mind: When I found out I lost our second child, though I was devastated I at some point had peace that God knew what He was doing and had no reservations about getting pregnant again. In fact, when I went in and had my surgery done to remove the miscarriage, my doctor came in and said "You seem very happy, considering the circumstances. (I was laughing at a Saved By the Bell episode when he came in). I simply told him, "God's got this." When I got pregnant with our third child I had weeks of fear and turmoil, worrying that I was going to lose this baby. I woke one night in a panic and finally cried out to God and I can say INSTANTLY I felt His peaceful loving hand upon my pregnancy, and I haven't been worried since.
I hope that you have felt that kind of peace. The freedom from the disturbances around you, quiet and tranquility. It's hard to find somedays. I truly believe it's Satan using our own insecurities to keep us from even wanting to find it sometimes. But it's there. It's always there. As Joshua says, "The Lord your God is with you wherever you go." There's peace right there.
Have a peaceful week my friends!
I love you!
Joshua 1:9
"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed for he Lord your God is with you wherever you go."
I call that Peace (which I readily admit I don't contain much of on the average day).
For some reason I like to look of definitions, and the definiton of peace is:
Freedom from disturbance, quiet and tranquility.
In the day to day hustle and bustle around my house we don't get much peace. My husband is an outgoing personality, and both my kids got that trait from him. With a two year old boy and four year old daughter my days are full of screaming, climbing, yelling, pushing, and the list goes on, and on, and ON. I can however think of a FEW times since having kids that God miraculously granted me peace in the moment. I know it was God because I never could have aquired it myself. I'm not JUST talking about the little moments through the day that God keeps me sane enough to survive until Josh gets home (you've been there, you know!). I'm talking big moments, when you just collapse into the arms of God and feel freedom from disturbance.
My biggest ones were number one when Josh had his accident at work in 2009. If you don't know that story I apologize, it's an amazing testimony to God's faithfulness and healing power, and I'd LOVE to share it with you sometime. But for the sake of this not taking days for you to read, I'll just skip ahead a little. While Josh was lying in the hospital in a coma, and my 4 month old daughter was at home for days on end without mommy by her side, I remember a pastor friend of ours saying to me, "I can't believe how much faith you have that Josh will be ok." And my reply was "I don't have any choice." I was not, in those initial days, resting in God's peaceful arms. But there was one moment, when I went to the ICU and sat with him shortly after he was starting to show signs of waking up. He was still somewhat unconcious but I was talking to him anyway, and he started smiling and nodding. I would ask him questions that only he would be able to answer and he would nod yes or smirk and shake his head no ever so slightly. And for the first time during that long ordeal, I felt freedom from disturbance. God granted me peace by waking up my husband, and letting me see tiny signs of the real Josh still hiding inside.
There have been other moments that come to mind: When I found out I lost our second child, though I was devastated I at some point had peace that God knew what He was doing and had no reservations about getting pregnant again. In fact, when I went in and had my surgery done to remove the miscarriage, my doctor came in and said "You seem very happy, considering the circumstances. (I was laughing at a Saved By the Bell episode when he came in). I simply told him, "God's got this." When I got pregnant with our third child I had weeks of fear and turmoil, worrying that I was going to lose this baby. I woke one night in a panic and finally cried out to God and I can say INSTANTLY I felt His peaceful loving hand upon my pregnancy, and I haven't been worried since.
I hope that you have felt that kind of peace. The freedom from the disturbances around you, quiet and tranquility. It's hard to find somedays. I truly believe it's Satan using our own insecurities to keep us from even wanting to find it sometimes. But it's there. It's always there. As Joshua says, "The Lord your God is with you wherever you go." There's peace right there.
Have a peaceful week my friends!
I love you!
Monday, January 6, 2014
Inspire Me
The first week of the new year has come and gone. How are you doing with your resolutions? ;)
I have been thinking a lot lately about the new year, and starting fresh, which led me to words that inspire me. I also asked my FB friends to give me words that inspire them. The interesting thing was that most of their words weren't even on my list! Anyway, I've decided that for my January blog I'll be posting about words that inspire.
Today is Grace.
The actual definition of grace is:
1. simple elegance or refinement of movement. ie poise.
Isn't that funny? I never even thought of the word as meaning that! What an exact picture of how the world sees grace though. An outward expression of how you handle yourself. When I think about this definition I picture the scene in Princess Diaries when Mia is learning to walk with a book on her head, and learning to sit up straight while crossing her legs like a lady. It's all about her transformation from frumpy girl next door to gracefully elegant princess.
Definition 2:
(In Christian belief) The free and unmerited favor of God, as manifested in the salvation of sinners and the bestowal of blessings.
Bam! Grace. True grace.
Just like Mia was transformed into a picture of worldy grace, the Christian definition of grace reminds us that we are transformed from the old to the new. We too own simple elegance and poise but of a completely different calibur! As daughter's of the King we posess the elegance of a different kind of princess! It's not about sitting up straight, and walking tall with and air of importance. It's kind of the opposite, funny enough. Our grace allows us to lower ourselves into the dirt to build a house for a needy family in another country. It allows us to don grubby clothes and help a neighbor paint their kitchen. It pushes us to sit for hours just listening to a friend cry. Grace transforms us from thinking of the outward, worldy version of ourselves, and putting someone else before us. Isn't it funny how twisted and yet parallel the definitions are next to eachother?
While you're going about your day, in and out of work, up and down the stairs with another load of laundry, remember grace. Not the first definition, but the second. Remember that exemplifying God's grace in the everyday things, IS actually exemplifying grace to people who know what true grace looks like.
Love you all! Make it a purposeful day!
I have been thinking a lot lately about the new year, and starting fresh, which led me to words that inspire me. I also asked my FB friends to give me words that inspire them. The interesting thing was that most of their words weren't even on my list! Anyway, I've decided that for my January blog I'll be posting about words that inspire.
Today is Grace.
The actual definition of grace is:
1. simple elegance or refinement of movement. ie poise.
Isn't that funny? I never even thought of the word as meaning that! What an exact picture of how the world sees grace though. An outward expression of how you handle yourself. When I think about this definition I picture the scene in Princess Diaries when Mia is learning to walk with a book on her head, and learning to sit up straight while crossing her legs like a lady. It's all about her transformation from frumpy girl next door to gracefully elegant princess.
Definition 2:
(In Christian belief) The free and unmerited favor of God, as manifested in the salvation of sinners and the bestowal of blessings.
Bam! Grace. True grace.
Just like Mia was transformed into a picture of worldy grace, the Christian definition of grace reminds us that we are transformed from the old to the new. We too own simple elegance and poise but of a completely different calibur! As daughter's of the King we posess the elegance of a different kind of princess! It's not about sitting up straight, and walking tall with and air of importance. It's kind of the opposite, funny enough. Our grace allows us to lower ourselves into the dirt to build a house for a needy family in another country. It allows us to don grubby clothes and help a neighbor paint their kitchen. It pushes us to sit for hours just listening to a friend cry. Grace transforms us from thinking of the outward, worldy version of ourselves, and putting someone else before us. Isn't it funny how twisted and yet parallel the definitions are next to eachother?
While you're going about your day, in and out of work, up and down the stairs with another load of laundry, remember grace. Not the first definition, but the second. Remember that exemplifying God's grace in the everyday things, IS actually exemplifying grace to people who know what true grace looks like.
Love you all! Make it a purposeful day!
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
Resolve to be Purposeful
Resolve: Firmness of purpose. A determination or decision.
I actually hate making New Year's resolutions. I never stick with them. Instead I've started saying "these are things I want to work on." Which, in reality, if I was honest with myself is the exact same thing. I just can't get past the cliche of calling it a "resolution." Thank you modern society. :)
I do have a list of things I am determined to work on all year though. They aren't major life changes, and won't require me to remember to do something every single day, but they will require me to change my attitude, and my motivation in some ways. All of this got me thinking, which is pretty dangerous at best. But it led me to Proverbs 16:9
9 The heart of man plans his way,
This is in no way an "out" to slack off on your resolutions. It instead reminds us that although we as humans have the capability and priveledge of making our own plans, it ultimately lies on God to determine how and if we get there. This verse reminds us that as dependent creatures, we are subject to God's direction, which sometimes doesn't line up with our plan. He knows that when our way will bring harm to us, or does not bring Glory to God, He will have to move our steps a little, and gently nudge us in a different direction(and unfortunately sometimes He has to literally pick us up and throw us in a different direction, but that's usually due to our own stubbornness). But the great news is, if our plan is laid out, and sees to benefit the Kingdom, and our end goal is to glorify God, then He will direct our steps, and make our path purposeful. He will protect and guide us! Doesn't that excite you?
If God is for us who can be against us?
So as you make your resolutions and try to stick with them this year, I pray that you are reminded that God is establishing your steps. Your worst enemy in this instance is yourself, and Satan knows that. Don't doubt he will use your self doubt and laziness to work against you in the coming year. He lives for it. But remember,
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Romans 8:37-39
Ultimately isn't that what it's all about anyway? We can make grand resolutions but in the end what matters is that nothing can separate you from the love of Christ. And all our resolutions should indeed be centered around that. Reminding ourselves that He is rooting for us! He doesn't want us to fail, even in the littlest of things. He cares about what you care about. My resolutions this year should all be focused on remembering His love and His calling to go into the world. I am making a resolve to be purposeful! Maybe this post is just one little way I can spread God's love, even if only to a few of you. Maybe THIS is why I felt called to blog.
Happy New year my new friends. May God bless your path this coming year! As the old praise chorus says,
"Be bold and be strong, banish fear and doubt.
For the promise of your God
Is to bless you coming in and to bless you going out."
I actually hate making New Year's resolutions. I never stick with them. Instead I've started saying "these are things I want to work on." Which, in reality, if I was honest with myself is the exact same thing. I just can't get past the cliche of calling it a "resolution." Thank you modern society. :)
I do have a list of things I am determined to work on all year though. They aren't major life changes, and won't require me to remember to do something every single day, but they will require me to change my attitude, and my motivation in some ways. All of this got me thinking, which is pretty dangerous at best. But it led me to Proverbs 16:9
Proverbs 16:9
9 The heart of man plans his way,
but the Lord establishes his steps.
If God is for us who can be against us?
So as you make your resolutions and try to stick with them this year, I pray that you are reminded that God is establishing your steps. Your worst enemy in this instance is yourself, and Satan knows that. Don't doubt he will use your self doubt and laziness to work against you in the coming year. He lives for it. But remember,
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Romans 8:37-39
Ultimately isn't that what it's all about anyway? We can make grand resolutions but in the end what matters is that nothing can separate you from the love of Christ. And all our resolutions should indeed be centered around that. Reminding ourselves that He is rooting for us! He doesn't want us to fail, even in the littlest of things. He cares about what you care about. My resolutions this year should all be focused on remembering His love and His calling to go into the world. I am making a resolve to be purposeful! Maybe this post is just one little way I can spread God's love, even if only to a few of you. Maybe THIS is why I felt called to blog.
Happy New year my new friends. May God bless your path this coming year! As the old praise chorus says,
"Be bold and be strong, banish fear and doubt.
For the promise of your God
Is to bless you coming in and to bless you going out."
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