“Mommy, can I have some candy?”, Peyton asks.
I reply “Not right now, it’s almost time for dinner.”
“Daddy, can I have some candy?”, he turns and asks his Dad, looking for a “yes”.
This is Peyton’s new idea of getting what he wants! He will continuing asking anyone who is there hoping he’ll find the answer he’s looking for. Lately we haven’t been allowing it and it earns him a much unwanted timeout!
What he doesn’t understand yet is that Mom and Dad have a reason for their answers! He doesn’t understand that too much candy isn’t good for him; that we know he’d love to go outside but 2 minutes into it he’ll cry because his hands are too cold; that if he eats right before bedtime, he doesn’t sleep well at night; etc. Although he may be upset at the time for our answer, we know what’s best for him.
I think of all the things I thought I knew when I was younger. How upset I would get when I didn’t get what I wanted. I grew a great respect for my Dad and the decisions he made because I could often look back and realize he was right! He usually didn’t even have to say much when I did wrong because I already knew, already felt guilty, and I believe he considered it a lesson learned. It was a quiet, humble, wise strength that I respected. Randy’s grandfather has this same strength about him and I admire him for it. It is often my prayer that Randy and I can have this same way of parenting.
Everyone can think of these times in their past or present. A time when as a child we went to our parent (or parent-figure) for an answer we wanted or when a child has come to us. It’s easy to look at it in these terms and see the different answers we give and the reasons for them. Why is it so hard then to see it so easily in Godly terms?
“I sought the Lord and He answered me…” Psalm 34:4
When we go to our Father with a request, we tend to always go seeking a “yes”. Having an answer doesn’t mean the Lord has granted you with what you asked. God’s answers also include “No”, “Wait”, and “Trust”. God’s answer may be an explanation, a refusal, a promise, or a condition. It is simply Him giving attention to our request. Too often we don’t see what we’ve asked for and we get irritated with God. “Where is He and why is He ignoring me now?”, “HELLO GOD! Are you there?…maybe I should give up…”, “Aggghhh! Just forget it God, apparently you’re too busy for little me!“, we turn away kicking and screaming just like my 4 year old does to me!
“Do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.” Hebrews 10:35
You need to learn to appreciate your hardships more than you do. They are what makes you grow and mature and develop Godly character. God allows us to go through tough times to increase our faith in Him. To allow us to see that He will never leave us or forsake us.
“All the commandments which I command you this day you shall be watchful to do, that you may live and multiply…you shall earnestly remember all the way which the Lord your God led you…in the wilderness, to humble you and to prove you, to know what was in your mind and heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not…that He might make you recognize and personally know that man does not live by bread only but man lives by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord.” Deuteronomy 8:1-3
We cannot live by all the things we seem to live by, we need to look to God to be our strength and our Provider. He wants only what is best for us and He knows what we need and when we need it.
“Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you; and therefore He lifts Himself up, that He may have mercy on you and show loving-kindness to you. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all those who wait for Him, who expect and look and long for Him [for His victory, His favor, His love, His peace, His joy, and His matchless, unbroken companionship]! …He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry; when He hears it, He will answer you. And though the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide Himself any more, but your eyes will constantly behold your Teacher. And your ears will hear a word behind you, saying, This is the way; walk in it.” Isaiah 30: 18-21
The Lord is waiting to for someone to be good to. He is looking for the person who’s eyes are fixed on Him, who is expecting His favor, His love, His joy even during the trials and hard times in life. If we constantly keep our eyes on our Teacher, God promises “that your ears will hear a word behind you, saying, This is the way; walk in it.”
“The Lord upholds all those [of His own] who are falling and raises up all those who are bowed down. The eyes of all wait for You and You give them their food in due season. You open Your hand and satisfy every living thing with favor. The Lord is righteous in all His ways and gracious and merciful in all His works. The Lord is near to all who call upon Him sincerely and in truth. He will fulfill the desires of those who reverently and worshipfully fear Him; He also will hear their cry and will save them.” Psalm 145: 14-19
When we are falling we are to keep our eyes on God, focus on and praise Him. Learn to wait on Him with expectancy by thanking Him that the answer is on the way. If we keep our hearts in the right place He promises that in due season, when the time is right He will reward us and bring us the desires of our hearts. Our deep innermost desires, too deep for words (Romans 8:26) NOT our casual wishes.
“I trusted in, relied on, and was confident in You, O Lord; I said, You are my God. My times are in Your hands.” Psalm 31:14,15
Trust is a firm reliance on the integrity, ability, etc., of a person or thing; confident expectation; responsibility; care.
Confident means having strong belief or full assurance; sure.
We need to trust God and remain confident that His timing is right. When waiting on God and waiting for an answer we need to remain at peace, putting things in His hands, it is then that we will be rewarded. If we are in need and we lean on Him for our support, it is then that we can see his wondrous works. He will bring us to the point to where we know it was not by our own works that brought us to prosper but by His hand and because of His unfailing, never ending love.
“Be still and rest in the Lord; wait for Him and patiently lean yourself upon Him” Psalm 37:7
“For God alone my soul waits in silence; from Him comes my salvation. He only is my Rock and my Salvation, my Defense and my Fortress, I shall not be greatly moved.” Psalm 62:1,2
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Our Christmas Tree
The kids were with Dad and the house was quiet and I found myself admiring our Christmas tree. There’s so much to be told within it’s branches, the outline of our lives. I’m one of those people who likes ornaments that have meaning. I always loved decorating the Christmas tree with my mom and as we pulled out each ornament, there was always a memory or story behind it.
I look at ours now and it’s the first year we don’t have any room for “balls” or “fillers”. There’s “Our First Christmas Together 2003” from the year we started dating and a Chinese crested dog for our first dog, Punk, who is no longer with us. We also have a boxer for Boomer, our dog who died last Christmas. Callie has her own ornament that looks like her. Cardinals which represent the memory of my BL Nan. A red church I gave my Grammy. We have a few “Our First Christmas 2005” from the year we were married and “Baby’s First Christmas” ornaments for Peyton and Jayden. We traced their hands last year and decorated mittens and this year we all colored wooden ornaments. Last year we added a gray kitten for Meeka. There’s an icicle with a snowmen on top that my Aunt Joni put on a gift for me a few years ago and one of my favorites, a wooden nativity scene my mom gave us from her new church. A fire truck Uncle Landon gave Peyton two years ago and a mother/daughter ornament I got after Christmas when Jayden was born. So far this year we’ve added a black bear, for the camping trip when the bear came too close and a snowman with Marino’s name and this years date for the year we started sponsoring him. This is only a few examples, there are very many more!
Our tree hasn’t always been so full of these special ornaments. We used to have balls and bows and even ribbon. As the year’s have passed we’ve taken them away and this is the first year they didn’t make it out of the box! There’s something so special about a Christmas tree. I love our ornaments, all representing a special memory or person we hold close to our hearts.
I have realized how closely our lives resemble a Christmas tree. In the beginning we had a small tree I set up with mostly balls and bows, it was a beautiful start but it didn’t have all the meaning and memory. Two Christmas’s later, Randy and I were married and truly setting out on our lives together and each year since we’ve added the special ornaments and taken off the empty, meaningless ones. Take time to read Colossians 3, it tells us about living as those made alive in Christ.
Verses 5-8 represent the balls and bows in our lives and orders us to take them off:
“Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immortality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed, which is idolatry…You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.”
Verses 6-13 represent the special, keepsake ornaments and tells us to put them on:
“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another…”
Verse 14 represent the lights we need to turn on that spread throughout our tree and light it up bringing it to its full splendor:
“And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”
Verse 15 represents the angel or star on top of our tree that completes it:“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.”
Verses 16-17 brings together the moment we step back and look at our tree:
“Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed , do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
I wish you all a “tree full of special ornaments”, lit up with love and topped with an angel of peace. As you admire your tree, may you remember the true meaning of Christmas by sharing God’s love and His truth, praising Him for the life He brings!
Merry Christmas and may you have a blessed New Year!
I look at ours now and it’s the first year we don’t have any room for “balls” or “fillers”. There’s “Our First Christmas Together 2003” from the year we started dating and a Chinese crested dog for our first dog, Punk, who is no longer with us. We also have a boxer for Boomer, our dog who died last Christmas. Callie has her own ornament that looks like her. Cardinals which represent the memory of my BL Nan. A red church I gave my Grammy. We have a few “Our First Christmas 2005” from the year we were married and “Baby’s First Christmas” ornaments for Peyton and Jayden. We traced their hands last year and decorated mittens and this year we all colored wooden ornaments. Last year we added a gray kitten for Meeka. There’s an icicle with a snowmen on top that my Aunt Joni put on a gift for me a few years ago and one of my favorites, a wooden nativity scene my mom gave us from her new church. A fire truck Uncle Landon gave Peyton two years ago and a mother/daughter ornament I got after Christmas when Jayden was born. So far this year we’ve added a black bear, for the camping trip when the bear came too close and a snowman with Marino’s name and this years date for the year we started sponsoring him. This is only a few examples, there are very many more!
Our tree hasn’t always been so full of these special ornaments. We used to have balls and bows and even ribbon. As the year’s have passed we’ve taken them away and this is the first year they didn’t make it out of the box! There’s something so special about a Christmas tree. I love our ornaments, all representing a special memory or person we hold close to our hearts.
I have realized how closely our lives resemble a Christmas tree. In the beginning we had a small tree I set up with mostly balls and bows, it was a beautiful start but it didn’t have all the meaning and memory. Two Christmas’s later, Randy and I were married and truly setting out on our lives together and each year since we’ve added the special ornaments and taken off the empty, meaningless ones. Take time to read Colossians 3, it tells us about living as those made alive in Christ.
Verses 5-8 represent the balls and bows in our lives and orders us to take them off:
“Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immortality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed, which is idolatry…You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.”
Verses 6-13 represent the special, keepsake ornaments and tells us to put them on:
“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another…”
Verse 14 represent the lights we need to turn on that spread throughout our tree and light it up bringing it to its full splendor:
“And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”
Verse 15 represents the angel or star on top of our tree that completes it:“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.”
Verses 16-17 brings together the moment we step back and look at our tree:
“Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed , do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
I wish you all a “tree full of special ornaments”, lit up with love and topped with an angel of peace. As you admire your tree, may you remember the true meaning of Christmas by sharing God’s love and His truth, praising Him for the life He brings!
Merry Christmas and may you have a blessed New Year!
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Santa's Watching You
Santa has sent us an elf, an “Elf on the Shelf”. The elf comes in a box along with a book to describe this tradition. Your elf sits up high and watches to see if you’re being naughty or nice, then during the night he flies to the North Pole to tell Santa how you were that day. When he returns, he finds a new place to sit, and this continues until Christmas. Finally on Christmas night he flies home with Santa until he’ll reappear next holiday season. Part of the magic is that you get to name your elf. You name him, write it in the back of your book and the magic begins. You may not touch your elf though or the magic disappears. This is a cute tradition that is basically an easy way to tell your children “Santa’s elf is watching you!”.
I had never heard of such a things until we got one in the mail. We opened our package, read the book, and named our elf. Peyton named our elf “Tapey” but they were less than impressed that they couldn’t touch him. We sat the elf, in his box, up on the shelf, and when the children woke the next morning the elf had came out of his box and was sitting on a nearby shelf, the fun began! Now they were excited and believed that this elf was really from Santa! It has been fun finding new places to sit the elf and watching the kids look for him and laugh when they finally find him. The best part about the elf is how well behaved the kids have become! They are normally good kids, just have the typical sibling fights and normal 2 and 4 year old fits, but since “Tapey” arrived they’ve been on their best behavior! It’s too bad he has to go home with Santa because I’d really like to have him around more often!
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The holidays come around and “Santa’s watching you” becomes a regular phrase in any home with children. Such a simple thing many of us have grown up with. Kids have a tendency to try their best to be good when they think Santa is watching them. Which brings me to the question, is this how you’re living out your life?
How is your behavior when you think no one is watching? How do you handle difficult, stressful, upsetting situations when alone compared to when someone is around? Are you consistent in your good behavior? The truth is our Father is always watching us. He sees what we do behind closed doors, He never takes time off, or walks away for a moment, He is always with us.
Think about this: You’re at home when something makes you angry (children, spouse, bad news, etc.) and you find yourself in a tantrum (too often we associate this word with kids but, yes, even adults have these!). You’re yelling, screaming, throwing things, think of the last time you’ve acted out like this, we all have at some point, and put yourself in that moment. During this time, what would happen if your pastor knocked on your door? I can guarantee you would straighten up real quick! How often does the rush of getting ready for church get you in a bad mood? Is the family who walks in the front door of the church the same family that just got out of the car?! There are many more examples, but my point here is that when we act like this we are acting to please people. God does not reward “good behavior” done when the behavior is to look good in front of someone else.
We need to be on our best behavior at all times because we want to be God-pleasers. We should be consistently making choices to rise above the negative things and be a better person to please our Father. Don’t make excuses for it, you aren’t “just an angry/emotional person”, you’re life isn’t just too hard….there’s no way around it. In every situation when you feel that anger rising up inside of you, at that moment, you have a choice: give in to it and feel it or rise above it and leave it powerless. I know sometimes the problems seem too overwhelming, or you may be so used to getting angry you aren’t sure how to act otherwise but God is there for you. He’s waiting for you to reach to Him for help and He is faithful. If you know of nothing else to do in that moment you find yourself having to make a choice, PRAY! Pray until the emotion subsides and don’t stop until it does.
Let’s all take a step of faith to be on our best behavior at all times. God watches us at all times and He’s there for you at all times. Let’s go back to how we were as children who thought Santa could see us everywhere! If we do this with honest hearts God will reward us with His blessings and gifts, just as Santa did!
“And as for you, brethren, do not become weary or lose heart in doing right [but continue in well-doing without weakening].” 2 Thessalonians 3:18
I had never heard of such a things until we got one in the mail. We opened our package, read the book, and named our elf. Peyton named our elf “Tapey” but they were less than impressed that they couldn’t touch him. We sat the elf, in his box, up on the shelf, and when the children woke the next morning the elf had came out of his box and was sitting on a nearby shelf, the fun began! Now they were excited and believed that this elf was really from Santa! It has been fun finding new places to sit the elf and watching the kids look for him and laugh when they finally find him. The best part about the elf is how well behaved the kids have become! They are normally good kids, just have the typical sibling fights and normal 2 and 4 year old fits, but since “Tapey” arrived they’ve been on their best behavior! It’s too bad he has to go home with Santa because I’d really like to have him around more often!
----------------------------------------------------------
The holidays come around and “Santa’s watching you” becomes a regular phrase in any home with children. Such a simple thing many of us have grown up with. Kids have a tendency to try their best to be good when they think Santa is watching them. Which brings me to the question, is this how you’re living out your life?
How is your behavior when you think no one is watching? How do you handle difficult, stressful, upsetting situations when alone compared to when someone is around? Are you consistent in your good behavior? The truth is our Father is always watching us. He sees what we do behind closed doors, He never takes time off, or walks away for a moment, He is always with us.
Think about this: You’re at home when something makes you angry (children, spouse, bad news, etc.) and you find yourself in a tantrum (too often we associate this word with kids but, yes, even adults have these!). You’re yelling, screaming, throwing things, think of the last time you’ve acted out like this, we all have at some point, and put yourself in that moment. During this time, what would happen if your pastor knocked on your door? I can guarantee you would straighten up real quick! How often does the rush of getting ready for church get you in a bad mood? Is the family who walks in the front door of the church the same family that just got out of the car?! There are many more examples, but my point here is that when we act like this we are acting to please people. God does not reward “good behavior” done when the behavior is to look good in front of someone else.
We need to be on our best behavior at all times because we want to be God-pleasers. We should be consistently making choices to rise above the negative things and be a better person to please our Father. Don’t make excuses for it, you aren’t “just an angry/emotional person”, you’re life isn’t just too hard….there’s no way around it. In every situation when you feel that anger rising up inside of you, at that moment, you have a choice: give in to it and feel it or rise above it and leave it powerless. I know sometimes the problems seem too overwhelming, or you may be so used to getting angry you aren’t sure how to act otherwise but God is there for you. He’s waiting for you to reach to Him for help and He is faithful. If you know of nothing else to do in that moment you find yourself having to make a choice, PRAY! Pray until the emotion subsides and don’t stop until it does.
Let’s all take a step of faith to be on our best behavior at all times. God watches us at all times and He’s there for you at all times. Let’s go back to how we were as children who thought Santa could see us everywhere! If we do this with honest hearts God will reward us with His blessings and gifts, just as Santa did!
“And as for you, brethren, do not become weary or lose heart in doing right [but continue in well-doing without weakening].” 2 Thessalonians 3:18
Monday, December 6, 2010
Lip Prints
I had a favorite tube of lipstick. It was the perfect shade and one I was comfortable with, a light pink that gave me some color but wasn’t too noticeable. It didn’t “kiss away” or smudge. Once it was becoming impossible to scrape anymore out of the tube it was time to buy a new one. To my surprise they didn’t have the right color! They had a similar one, so I bought it hoping it would work. It didn’t and in fact it didn’t even look like I had put any on. Next time at the store I went about picking a new color. I thought since it was winter, maybe I’d go with a darker shade, but I’m not one for dark lipstick. I found an almost dark color that I thought would work, it was a wine color, not too pink, not too red, just nicely in between. The first time I put it on, I took it right back off immediately! This was not for me! It was possible I was being self conscience since I wasn’t used to a darker shade, so I got a second opinion. Randy thought it looked nice so I decided to give it another try.
On day 2 of this lipstick trial we attended a Christmas dinner…
As I was leaving the kid’s at Gram and Pap’s I kissed them goodbye as I always do. Unlike others, this time they had lip prints on their cheeks! It made me think of my childhood and how my Mom used to always do this to me (she still does sometimes and I have gone hours before noticing!).
At dinner, I ordered my drink, took a sip, and looked at my straw….I was that mother!! I was the mother who left a lipstick stain on her straw! I aged 20 years in that moment!
I’ve been wearing the lipstick now for a few days and as uncomforting as it was in the beginning, it’s starting to grow on me. I like the color now and I just may keep it. I have to admit though, my favorite thing about it is leaving “lips” on my babies!
What kind of impression is our faith leaving behind? Some of us have what seems like a beautiful faith but never let it rub off or leave an impression on anyone around us. We keep enough faith that it works for us but is never noticeable to the ones around us. We hold on to the same level of faith and try to keep scraping out as much as possible. Some of us get so comfortable in our faith it becomes ineffective.
We need to have a faith that reaches out to others. One that keeps growing and renewing day by day. Our faith should be seen in our acts and in our deeds. We should be walking in and stepping out in faith every day. This may be uncomfortable at first, but we need to trust God, He will not fail us! Just like my new shade keeps leaving lip prints behind, our faith should be leaving heart prints behind. Acts of faith that show others God’s unconditional, unfailing, never ending, LOVE!
“Let us consider and give attentive, continuous, care to watching over one another, studying how we may stir up love and helpful deeds and noble activities.“ Hebrews 10:24
“May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.” 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17
On day 2 of this lipstick trial we attended a Christmas dinner…
As I was leaving the kid’s at Gram and Pap’s I kissed them goodbye as I always do. Unlike others, this time they had lip prints on their cheeks! It made me think of my childhood and how my Mom used to always do this to me (she still does sometimes and I have gone hours before noticing!).
At dinner, I ordered my drink, took a sip, and looked at my straw….I was that mother!! I was the mother who left a lipstick stain on her straw! I aged 20 years in that moment!
I’ve been wearing the lipstick now for a few days and as uncomforting as it was in the beginning, it’s starting to grow on me. I like the color now and I just may keep it. I have to admit though, my favorite thing about it is leaving “lips” on my babies!
What kind of impression is our faith leaving behind? Some of us have what seems like a beautiful faith but never let it rub off or leave an impression on anyone around us. We keep enough faith that it works for us but is never noticeable to the ones around us. We hold on to the same level of faith and try to keep scraping out as much as possible. Some of us get so comfortable in our faith it becomes ineffective.
We need to have a faith that reaches out to others. One that keeps growing and renewing day by day. Our faith should be seen in our acts and in our deeds. We should be walking in and stepping out in faith every day. This may be uncomfortable at first, but we need to trust God, He will not fail us! Just like my new shade keeps leaving lip prints behind, our faith should be leaving heart prints behind. Acts of faith that show others God’s unconditional, unfailing, never ending, LOVE!
“Let us consider and give attentive, continuous, care to watching over one another, studying how we may stir up love and helpful deeds and noble activities.“ Hebrews 10:24
“May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.” 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17
Monday, November 29, 2010
Enough Love
If you have ever been pregnant yourself, or are close to anyone who has been, you probably know that a pregnant women is full of hormones and emotions! There are things I worried about, thought about, etc. when I was pregnant that seem so silly now! I remember when I was pregnant with our first baby, Peyton, there were times when I’d think that once that baby was born, Randy wouldn’t love me as much! It turned out that when Peyton arrived, not only did we each fill with love for that little baby boy, we also filled with more love for one another! Then I became pregnant with our second baby…all the more worries…
I would tuck Peyton into bed then, after he fell asleep, I’d pray for him and then I’d lay there and watch him sleep. He was so peaceful and I’d think of how fast he was growing and how much I loved him and I’m sure every mother does this or has done this, I still do. On this particular night though (when I was very pregnant with Jayden) I remember thinking “Oh no…how can I love another baby as much as I love him? I love this little boy to the ends of the earth, how will I ever find more love to give to another baby? …..oh no…” and the tears came. I was so upset! I pulled myself together, went downstairs, and ran this thought by Randy… he thought I was crazy!! Well I did not appreciate this because I was truly concerned! Then she came along…
A sweet baby girl, so tiny and new! I thought “How could I have ever questioned my love for her?! I was crazy!”. Our hearts filled with more love than ever before. I loved her so much, I loved Randy so much more, and I loved Peyton even more as well! Our family was growing and so was our love.
The Lord has been leading me to learn about love. In Sunday school this week we talked about relationships and love. A lady in our group had actually said “when I was pregnant with my second baby I worried I wouldn’t be able to love it enough…” I could not believe it! I was not the only one! Her story was exactly the same as mine! Since she had said that I’ve been thinking about it and how important it is with what I’m learning about love.
It is by God that we grow in love. He gives us the ability to love and find love for anyone who is part of our life. Love is the most important thing we can have because without love, all other gifts are useless (1 Corinthians 13:1-3).
God is love and he commands us to love one another (John 13:34). I’m sure you can think of someone in your life who you struggle with loving. In our human minds we think some people are just impossible to love. They’ve hurt us too much, too many times. Our human minds can not grasp the concept of “love your neighbor as you love yourself.” As humans we are incapable of perfect love, our love is empty and will fall short. The good news is when we accept Christ, the Holy Spirit dwells in us, and we can call on God to help us love others.
We need to find the full depth of Gods love and love others through it. God sent His only Son to die to save us from our sins. Think about how important that is. I think we hear that so much that we don’t take the time to really think upon it and realize what it truly means. God sent His only Son to die to save you from your sins - God loves you! If God has sacrificed so much for us, who are we to not walk in love? Think about that person who you have a hard time loving, God sent His son to die for his/her sins as well as yours, so who are you to judge them and not love them?
God knows we are human, He knows we are not perfect, all He wants is for us to call upon Him for help. If you’re lacking love in your life, if you find it hard to love others, call upon Him. Open your heart to him in prayer and ask Him to show you what love really is and how to love others. Our God is faithful and he will guide your steps as you learn to walk in love. There is so much to learn about love, love is not this thing we think it is, love is far beyond us, love is only something we can do and know through God. If you’re unsure where to start, start by reading 1 Corinthians 13. It tell us what love is and what love is not. Here’s a simple prayer you can pray to get you started “Lord Heavenly Father I humble myself before you and ask you to show me how to love. Show me what I’ve been doing wrong and lead me to walk in Your love. Thank you for the love you’ve given me. In Jesus name, Amen.”
I would tuck Peyton into bed then, after he fell asleep, I’d pray for him and then I’d lay there and watch him sleep. He was so peaceful and I’d think of how fast he was growing and how much I loved him and I’m sure every mother does this or has done this, I still do. On this particular night though (when I was very pregnant with Jayden) I remember thinking “Oh no…how can I love another baby as much as I love him? I love this little boy to the ends of the earth, how will I ever find more love to give to another baby? …..oh no…” and the tears came. I was so upset! I pulled myself together, went downstairs, and ran this thought by Randy… he thought I was crazy!! Well I did not appreciate this because I was truly concerned! Then she came along…
A sweet baby girl, so tiny and new! I thought “How could I have ever questioned my love for her?! I was crazy!”. Our hearts filled with more love than ever before. I loved her so much, I loved Randy so much more, and I loved Peyton even more as well! Our family was growing and so was our love.
The Lord has been leading me to learn about love. In Sunday school this week we talked about relationships and love. A lady in our group had actually said “when I was pregnant with my second baby I worried I wouldn’t be able to love it enough…” I could not believe it! I was not the only one! Her story was exactly the same as mine! Since she had said that I’ve been thinking about it and how important it is with what I’m learning about love.
It is by God that we grow in love. He gives us the ability to love and find love for anyone who is part of our life. Love is the most important thing we can have because without love, all other gifts are useless (1 Corinthians 13:1-3).
God is love and he commands us to love one another (John 13:34). I’m sure you can think of someone in your life who you struggle with loving. In our human minds we think some people are just impossible to love. They’ve hurt us too much, too many times. Our human minds can not grasp the concept of “love your neighbor as you love yourself.” As humans we are incapable of perfect love, our love is empty and will fall short. The good news is when we accept Christ, the Holy Spirit dwells in us, and we can call on God to help us love others.
We need to find the full depth of Gods love and love others through it. God sent His only Son to die to save us from our sins. Think about how important that is. I think we hear that so much that we don’t take the time to really think upon it and realize what it truly means. God sent His only Son to die to save you from your sins - God loves you! If God has sacrificed so much for us, who are we to not walk in love? Think about that person who you have a hard time loving, God sent His son to die for his/her sins as well as yours, so who are you to judge them and not love them?
God knows we are human, He knows we are not perfect, all He wants is for us to call upon Him for help. If you’re lacking love in your life, if you find it hard to love others, call upon Him. Open your heart to him in prayer and ask Him to show you what love really is and how to love others. Our God is faithful and he will guide your steps as you learn to walk in love. There is so much to learn about love, love is not this thing we think it is, love is far beyond us, love is only something we can do and know through God. If you’re unsure where to start, start by reading 1 Corinthians 13. It tell us what love is and what love is not. Here’s a simple prayer you can pray to get you started “Lord Heavenly Father I humble myself before you and ask you to show me how to love. Show me what I’ve been doing wrong and lead me to walk in Your love. Thank you for the love you’ve given me. In Jesus name, Amen.”
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Thanks at the Lake
Our life has been rather hectic lately. We’re getting ready for winter, Randy’s busy with the jobs he has to finish before the snow comes, and any small amount of extra time we have has gone to remodeling the bedrooms. The fact that we have family not only near but also far away makes things harder. We’re also trying to follow God’s path for us that is taking us through some big changes. Every weekend we have to purposely make time to spend together and it’s not always easy and it’s never for very long. It often seems as life is blowing right by us and we’re just trying to keep up. This past weekend was looking the same. My aunt was coming to visit Friday afternoon, then that evening my Mom and Chad were coming for dinner. Saturday we had to get coal and drywall, both before noon, then try to make progress on the room. Not to mention all the little chores and things that needed done as well. We started the weekend off in a rush trying to fit everything in.
While Randy was loading drywall, I ordered a Papa Johns pizza because that would be quick and I’ll use just about any excuse for Papa Johns! We picked up our pizza and away we went. But Randy had an idea which took us to the lake!
“We’ll eat lunch here and enjoy this nice day, there won’t be many left” he said.
We found a nice spot, sat in the grass, and spread out our pizza box! The sky was beautiful, the sun was shining, we both agreed it was a perfect day. We sat together and watched the kids play…until Peyton got stuck! There was muck where they had recently drained some water, Peyton was determined to fish but his boots sunk and he could not move! Randy stood on a small rock and tried to pull him out, it was a sight to see! Then they made a fishing pole together out of a stick, some old line, and a big hook. We walked down the lake to a rock bed and let Peyton cast his line. No fish but we did find a clam! We spent about an hour there, just enjoying the day.
There was something special about it because it was unplanned, it required no thought, no getting ready or making plans. We just went, ate our lunch, enjoyed the beauty of God’s works, enjoyed each other, and had fun. I think we’d all be better off if we did this more often. We all get so busy and caught up in life that we forget to stop and simply breathe. We get our minds set on what lies ahead and forget to thank God for all we have now. Take time to stop. To simply look around at all you have and thank God for it. Let your heart fill with praise to the God who has given you so much.
“Make a joyful noise to the Lord! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come before His presence with singing! Know that Lord is God! It is He Who has made us, not we ourselves! We are His people and the sheep of His pasture! Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise! Be thankful and say so to Him, bless and affectionately praise His name! For the Lord is good; His mercy and loving-kindness are everlasting. His faithfulness and truth endure to all generations.” Psalm 100
While Randy was loading drywall, I ordered a Papa Johns pizza because that would be quick and I’ll use just about any excuse for Papa Johns! We picked up our pizza and away we went. But Randy had an idea which took us to the lake!
“We’ll eat lunch here and enjoy this nice day, there won’t be many left” he said.
We found a nice spot, sat in the grass, and spread out our pizza box! The sky was beautiful, the sun was shining, we both agreed it was a perfect day. We sat together and watched the kids play…until Peyton got stuck! There was muck where they had recently drained some water, Peyton was determined to fish but his boots sunk and he could not move! Randy stood on a small rock and tried to pull him out, it was a sight to see! Then they made a fishing pole together out of a stick, some old line, and a big hook. We walked down the lake to a rock bed and let Peyton cast his line. No fish but we did find a clam! We spent about an hour there, just enjoying the day.
There was something special about it because it was unplanned, it required no thought, no getting ready or making plans. We just went, ate our lunch, enjoyed the beauty of God’s works, enjoyed each other, and had fun. I think we’d all be better off if we did this more often. We all get so busy and caught up in life that we forget to stop and simply breathe. We get our minds set on what lies ahead and forget to thank God for all we have now. Take time to stop. To simply look around at all you have and thank God for it. Let your heart fill with praise to the God who has given you so much.
“Make a joyful noise to the Lord! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come before His presence with singing! Know that Lord is God! It is He Who has made us, not we ourselves! We are His people and the sheep of His pasture! Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise! Be thankful and say so to Him, bless and affectionately praise His name! For the Lord is good; His mercy and loving-kindness are everlasting. His faithfulness and truth endure to all generations.” Psalm 100
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
A Broken Daisy
Randy has been working on remodeling our bedroom with the help of Peyton! Peyton loves to help his Daddy work, he even has his own tool belt. A few days ago they worked all day together. The whole day they were going back and forth from inside to outside. Later in the day, I went to check in and see how things were coming along. Peyton was telling me, with all the details, everything they had done and how they had done it and what they still had planned to do. Mid-thought he stopped and the expression on his face changed from serious (as he was giving me his detailed descriptions) to complete joy! He got the biggest smile on his face, his eyes lit up...
"Mommy! Here I picked this for you!", as he pulled from his pocket a daisy that had obviously been in there for quite some time!
How sweet he is! I loved it and the fact it had been tucked away in his pocket all day made it even more special. I believe any mother would agree, some of the prettiest flowers we receive are the weeds our children pick for us!
A child's innocent and pure heart is one of life's great blessings and this little, broken, flower was a reminder of that.
God wants us to give Him our broken "flowers" we keep tucked away in our pockets. What in your life do you feel is broken, torn, bruised, beyond repair? Often times we think there is no way to fix it and we hide it in a pocket of shame, guilt, anger, blame, and fear. I know I have been guilty of this. Everyone's broken "flowers" are different, some are abuse, unforgiveness, divorce, low self-esteem, sin and the list goes on. Many of us have a broken boquet of flowers, having so many issues and problems along the way we think there is absolutely no way to fix them all. I have been there myself and God showed me a verse awhile back that has been my "life verse", it had given me such hope, full of the promise of God.
"O afflicted one, storm-tossed and not comforted, behold, I will set your stones in fair colors [in antimony to enhance their brilliance] and lay your foundations with sapphires." Isaiah 54:11
Stones of fair colors and sapphires are gems. The dictionary definition for gem is this: precious stone; something prized for its beauty or excellence. Now knowing this, read the verse again.
This is a promise from our Father in heaven! Let it sink into your heart! We are His children and in His eyes, our broken flowers are beautiful. We can (and need to) proudly pull our broken flowers out of our pockets and give them to our Father. He is the Mender of broken hearts. He will take our broken, torn, bruised, uncomforted hearts and make them beautiful again!
"He heals the broken hearted and bandages their wounds." Psalm 147:3
"Mommy! Here I picked this for you!", as he pulled from his pocket a daisy that had obviously been in there for quite some time!
How sweet he is! I loved it and the fact it had been tucked away in his pocket all day made it even more special. I believe any mother would agree, some of the prettiest flowers we receive are the weeds our children pick for us!
A child's innocent and pure heart is one of life's great blessings and this little, broken, flower was a reminder of that.
God wants us to give Him our broken "flowers" we keep tucked away in our pockets. What in your life do you feel is broken, torn, bruised, beyond repair? Often times we think there is no way to fix it and we hide it in a pocket of shame, guilt, anger, blame, and fear. I know I have been guilty of this. Everyone's broken "flowers" are different, some are abuse, unforgiveness, divorce, low self-esteem, sin and the list goes on. Many of us have a broken boquet of flowers, having so many issues and problems along the way we think there is absolutely no way to fix them all. I have been there myself and God showed me a verse awhile back that has been my "life verse", it had given me such hope, full of the promise of God.
"O afflicted one, storm-tossed and not comforted, behold, I will set your stones in fair colors [in antimony to enhance their brilliance] and lay your foundations with sapphires." Isaiah 54:11
Stones of fair colors and sapphires are gems. The dictionary definition for gem is this: precious stone; something prized for its beauty or excellence. Now knowing this, read the verse again.
This is a promise from our Father in heaven! Let it sink into your heart! We are His children and in His eyes, our broken flowers are beautiful. We can (and need to) proudly pull our broken flowers out of our pockets and give them to our Father. He is the Mender of broken hearts. He will take our broken, torn, bruised, uncomforted hearts and make them beautiful again!
"He heals the broken hearted and bandages their wounds." Psalm 147:3
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
About My Family
I'm a stay-at-home Christian mom of two! My husband is Randy. We've known each other since we were 15 and we were happily married on June 25,2005. We are blessed with a boy, Peyton Isaiah, who was born October 2006 and a little girl, Jayden Raynn, who was born January 2009. We have two dogs and a cat. Our boxer, Callie, we got when we were first married. Buster, who is a jack russell, we got for Peyton when he was 2. Randy and I are not "cat people" at all but we love our cat! His name is Meeka (when we got him Peyton called him "me kitty"). Our pets are important here not only because they're our family but because we have, what we call "pet issues". Our "pet issues" have given us and others some great laughs.
Since our babies our life has been quite a ride! Peyton is a rough, tough, in the dirt, typical boy. He also is as sweet as can be. He loves to cuddle and always needs hugs. We used to think he was ornery, but since his sister, not so much! Little Miss Jayden Raynn. She is a fearless, independant, ornery, rough, tough, little (literally) girl. She has the sweetest smile and she knows when to use it! She gives hugs and kisses...when she wants to. Together they make quite a pair!!
Every day is something new, sometimes funny, sometimes trying. As a mom at home all day with little ones, it can sometimes be rough just as much it is fun. I know some days I feel like I can conquer the world and other days it's by the grace of God I make it through. I want to share my stories, good and bad, to help other moms or any one see that there is good in each day and you are not alone. Since becoming a mama, some of the biggest lessons God has taught me come from my kids! Every day is a blessing. It doesn't always work out like we plan or go our way but if you look there is always something good, always a reminder that we are blessed!
Proverbs 31
Since our babies our life has been quite a ride! Peyton is a rough, tough, in the dirt, typical boy. He also is as sweet as can be. He loves to cuddle and always needs hugs. We used to think he was ornery, but since his sister, not so much! Little Miss Jayden Raynn. She is a fearless, independant, ornery, rough, tough, little (literally) girl. She has the sweetest smile and she knows when to use it! She gives hugs and kisses...when she wants to. Together they make quite a pair!!
Every day is something new, sometimes funny, sometimes trying. As a mom at home all day with little ones, it can sometimes be rough just as much it is fun. I know some days I feel like I can conquer the world and other days it's by the grace of God I make it through. I want to share my stories, good and bad, to help other moms or any one see that there is good in each day and you are not alone. Since becoming a mama, some of the biggest lessons God has taught me come from my kids! Every day is a blessing. It doesn't always work out like we plan or go our way but if you look there is always something good, always a reminder that we are blessed!
Proverbs 31
Bath Time For Kitty
Peyton’s favorite toy is a small white kitty in which I think he believes is real. He does everything with the kitty that we do with our real kitty, including giving it a bath. Almost daily he says “Mom, my kitty is dirty, can I give him a bath?” and usually he’s allowed. The last time the kitty got a bath with him, I gave Jayden her small pink puppy to bath.
Thank God for his grace and infinite love for us. He helps clean up the messes we've made of our lives. He washes us of our sins. He gently wipes away our guilt and makes us new, only asking that we seek forgiveness and turn our hearts toward Him.
Now when you ask Jayden, "Did you wash your kitty in the potty?" she shakes her head yes.
Which bring us to the day her kitty got a bath.
It was another Wednesday which meant Peyton had Cubbies at church. That morning I sat down with him to go over his lesson while Jayden finished up her oatmeal in the kitchen. As we were going over his Bible verse, she walked in the room and I quickly realized she was not finishing her oatmeal as I had thought. There she was, in her nightgown, holding her soaking wet black kitty which was dripping all over the floor. She was as proud as could be having bathed her kitty just like her big brother!
“Uh oh! He’s dripping all over, let’s get a towel and dry him off,” I said.
Conveniently enough there lie a dish towel beside us on the floor. She picked up the towel, wrapped up the kitty, sat him on a stool and scrubbed him up. Not seeing this as much of a big deal, I let her go and went back to Peyton’s Cubbies lesson. She finished drying her kitty then sat near us to listen in.
When we were all finished, I figured I better go tackle the mess of water that I had assumed was all over the bathroom.
It was another Wednesday which meant Peyton had Cubbies at church. That morning I sat down with him to go over his lesson while Jayden finished up her oatmeal in the kitchen. As we were going over his Bible verse, she walked in the room and I quickly realized she was not finishing her oatmeal as I had thought. There she was, in her nightgown, holding her soaking wet black kitty which was dripping all over the floor. She was as proud as could be having bathed her kitty just like her big brother!
“Uh oh! He’s dripping all over, let’s get a towel and dry him off,” I said.
Conveniently enough there lie a dish towel beside us on the floor. She picked up the towel, wrapped up the kitty, sat him on a stool and scrubbed him up. Not seeing this as much of a big deal, I let her go and went back to Peyton’s Cubbies lesson. She finished drying her kitty then sat near us to listen in.
When we were all finished, I figured I better go tackle the mess of water that I had assumed was all over the bathroom.
If only it were that simple.
I followed a trail of wetness through the kitchen, into the bathroom, and right up to what I expected to be the sink. Instead, my eyes stopped at the toilet.
The toilet.
A toilet that also happened to be filled with pee, wet toilet paper in and out, and surrounded by a drenched floor. This is the dreaded moment when I realized that little black kitten had gotten a bath in the toilet and my little girl, all this time, had been covered in water and pee.
Into the bathroom she came, carrying her kitty, proud and ready to show Mama just how she bathed it all by herself.
“Jayden….did you bath your kitty in the potty?” I asked.
She shook her head yes without a care in the world. It was now bath time for both a little girl and her kitty. So I got her in the tub, put the kitty in basket with a load of laundry, and cleaned up the mess.
“Jayden….did you bath your kitty in the potty?” I asked.
She shook her head yes without a care in the world. It was now bath time for both a little girl and her kitty. So I got her in the tub, put the kitty in basket with a load of laundry, and cleaned up the mess.
I find myself relating to my girl.
Times when I felt I had a good idea, went ahead with it, did it on my own and when finished, looked at what I had done with pride. Haven't you?
Thinking, "Look what I've done! What an accomplishment!"
Then, just like when Jayden brought me the kitty, we decide to let our Father in on what we've done. We go to Him full of pride, ready to receive His blessing. What we usually find out is that we've made a mess. Our idea, as good as it seemed at the time, created a mess that ultimately He, Our Father, will have to clean up. What we didn't realize at the time was our good idea was just that - our good idea. We acted before we sought council from our Father.
Our ideas, no matter how great, will soon turn into another mess without prayerful consideration and His guidance. We need to seek Him first, spend time in prayer, receive His blessings before jumping into our "good idea."
Because our "good idea" may not be such a good idea after all.
Thank God for his grace and infinite love for us. He helps clean up the messes we've made of our lives. He washes us of our sins. He gently wipes away our guilt and makes us new, only asking that we seek forgiveness and turn our hearts toward Him.
Now when you ask Jayden, "Did you wash your kitty in the potty?" she shakes her head yes.
But if you ask her, "Are you allowed to bath your kitty in the potty?" she will tell you no, understanding the potty isn't the best choice for a good bathing.
Let us learn to seek God first, trusting that His ways are best. Just as parents want only the best for our children, God, our Heavenly Father, wants only the best for us.
Let us learn to seek God first, trusting that His ways are best. Just as parents want only the best for our children, God, our Heavenly Father, wants only the best for us.
"'For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,' declares the LORD." Isaiah 55:8
"Guide me in Your truth and faithfulness and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; for You I wait expectantly all day long." Psalm 25:5
"Guide me in Your truth and faithfulness and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; for You I wait expectantly all day long." Psalm 25:5
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