Monday, April 27, 2015

Limits

Everyone's limit is different. My busy doesn't make your busy any more or any less. Everyone is learning to handle their own busy. 

Let's give each other space to grow.

Just because you've mastered something doesn't mean someone else has. & just because you see something as a big deal doesn't mean that someone else will see it that way. 

That's okay. We need to stop holding people hostage to our definitions & ask God what He says.

It's His Word that helps people deal with their busy & expand their limits, not my opinion. It's His Word that puts things into perspective, not my experience.

Let's be busier praying for people, & less busy criticizing. 

It's really a win-win...praying helps them with their life & makes you feel happy. & we need more happy people in this world! 


Isaiah 26:3-4 
You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, 
because he trusts in You.
Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.

Monday, April 13, 2015

It's His perfect love.

I'll tell you what, life does not take it easy on you just because you are going through something. 

That's why it's so important to run to God, otherwise you can get swallowed up.

This weekend was packed full of reminders about Abigail. One right after the other. I couldn't get away from it. Every where I turned there they were. What am I supposed to do? Go crawl under a rock?! 

I'll be honest, there are times I've wanted to do that, but that's not an option. Why isn't that an option? Because I've still got a life to live, a family to love, a destiny to accomplish & my God to serve! But those precious things are not the things that motivate me. It's His perfect love. 

He loves me beyond measure & He's pursuing me out of that love. I can feel it shake me & move me & pull me up out of pain & sadness. I'm not trying to sound like super woman, sometimes it takes a little bit for me to come around, but He never stops. 

He's not waiting around for me to try & conjure up some emotion out of my own strength, He's just there, loving me intensely & perfectly & then the sadness breaks off of me again. & the more times I let Him in to love me, the less times I feel sad. That might seem like the most obvious statement in the entire universe, but when your wading through the murkiness of life sometimes you forget. 

For me, it mostly happens during times of worship. The moments when I'm singing every word by faith & honoring Him by believing regardless of what I'm feeling & then suddenly it changes & He's made all things new again. It's amazing the life that comes to your mind, your emotions & even your physical body when He begins to minister to you.

Other times He uses my husband. He lets me cry on his shoulder & then speaks the truth to me about our situation. I can't tell you how many times & how many ways God has used that man. 

Why am I telling you all of this? 

Because I want you to know that there is hope. There is healing & that God loves you just as passionately as He loves me. He's looking to pour Himself out into your life & help you through the hard times & celebrate with you in the good. Have faith.

Don't allow yourself to be swallowed up by the pain. Don't allow the devil to use a tragedy to take your life away as well. Keep running back to God, over & over, never lose hope.

Don't ever quit... He'll never quit on you. 

Thursday, April 9, 2015

Fragrance

Your worship impacts the atmosphere.

John 12:3 niv
Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; 
she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. 
And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

In your good times & in your bad times, learn to worship. Learn to turn your eyes on Jesus & let all the big things of this world fade in His presence. Let the fragrance of your worship fill the room, you cannot help but be changed as He receives your love. 

Honor Him above your circumstances & He will honor your faith. 

Our God is generous. He will not leave you to fight alone. Only believe.

Monday, April 6, 2015

Confidence is a decision, not a character trait.

I've gotten a lot of things into perspective throughout this time in my life. 

Life-Events tend to do that to a person, whether they are good ones or bad ones.

One of the things I've thought long & hard about is what my parenting style would have been like with Abigail. I also think a lot about it when I interact with my 2 beautiful, wonderful, adorable, strong, energetic nieces. So much of what they do (good, silly or naughty) makes me think about how I would respond if I was their parent. 

Something that weighs heavily on my heart is the idea of "bullying." I see it all over the news, the internet, etc. I see the effects it has on children & how horrible it can be. 

Something has to be done. 

Yet, I feel like I have a very different perspective than most. I agree with the masses that bullying should have consequences, but I also feel like there's a more powerful solution. 

If our children were raised with a true sense of self, what someone else had to say would not matter so much. I'm not saying it wouldn't hurt their feelings, but it would not define them. 

I realize by saying that, I've probably stirred up some emotions...good, bad & ugly ones. But that's part of being a parent, taking a long hard look at how we've been raising our children, how they are growing & what we need to change to help them. 

I say all this because I remember vividly my first & my second encounter with bullies. People who tried to tell me I wasn't good enough, they didn't want to be my friends, & even one who threatened to hurt me. I still don't know why they wanted to hurt me, as far as I know - they just didn't like me. & you know what, it hurt, but it didn't define me & it didn't stop me from making other friends. 

I understand that today's children face many more challenges & extreme situations, but for the majority of children...if they were raised to know who they are & that their importance is not based on their popularity or what other people think/say about them, their lives would be drastically different. Becoming a victim is a choice. Give your child enough right information so they can combat the emotional toll that life takes.

I know because I lived it. I'm not saying it didn't hurt my feelings, but that was temporary. I simply went about my life, choosing to ignore those people (not hate them), & find my friends because I knew who I was. 

That's how I want to raise my kids. I want them to know they are strong & beautiful regardless of other people's opinions. They don't get their value from society. Feel free to look at others & take away things you like - character traits, styles, hair, makeup, abilities, etc - and apply them to your life, but know that you don't need to make yourself into anyone else. Confidence is a decision, not a character trait. Choose to be confident, choose to stand up & be who your are. It's okay to be silly, it's okay to be different, it's okay to not have all the answers. Keep learning. It's okay to fail at something & get embarrassed, but being embarrassed only lasts as long as you let it. Laugh it off & tackle life again. What's the worst that could happen - people might laugh, but what's the best that could happen - you might succeed! Feeling scared isn't a deciding factor, right or wrong is the deciding factor. 

Don't let society put it's demands on you. It's all just their opinion anyways. Don't take offense every time someone says something mean. Their words do not make or break your life. 

I'll say it over & over no matter how cliche it might sound. Your true self is found in our Savior... you, me, our children, every single human being. He will keep you through all of life's storms & through middle school for that matter. 

His Words are the ones to base your life off of. His Words will never change, they are life & truth. 

Psalm 144:12
That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth;
That our daughters may be as pillars,
sculptured in palace style.